At first emphasizing that science fiction is primarily one of many forms of storytelling, McConnell gradually recognizes science fiction as a modern expression of Gnosticism rejecting bodily concerns for an exclusive emphasis on spirituality.

Considers the development of science fiction for children and teens between 1950 and 2010, exploring why it differs from science fiction aimed at adults. This book sheds light on changing attitudes toward children and teenagers, toward science education, and toward the authors' expectations and sociological views of their audience.

A study of French-language science fiction from Canada that provides an introduction to the subgenre known as 'SFQ' (science fiction from Quebec). It demonstrates how these multivolume narratives of colonization and postcolonial societies exploit themes typical of postcolonial literatures.

Analyzes Donaldson's role as a modern writer who uses the fantasy genre to discuss situations and predicaments germane to the modern world. This book provides the reader with a discussion about the need for imagination, responsibility and acceptance to resolve such problems as alienation, pollution, disease and despair.

Contains essays that demonstrate how science fiction can serve as a bridge between science and the humanities. This book shows how early writers like Dante and Mary Shelley revealed a gradual shift toward a genuine understanding of science.

These 19 essays from various critical disciplines examine how comic books and graphic narratives move between various media, while merging youth and adult cultures and popular and high art. The articles feature international perspectives on comics and graphic novels published in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Portugal, Germany, Turkey, India, and Japan. Topics covered in this title range from film adaptation, to journalism in comics, to the current manga boom.

This text argues that utopian stories should be treated as literary texts, not as blueprints for a human community. Thomas More's Utopia, H.G. Well's A Modern Utopia, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars are examined as texts representative of utopianism during specific historical periods--Provided by publisher.

The first book-length treatment of Le Guin's feminism, this text offers a career-spanning look at her engagement with modern gender theory and practice. During the 1970s, Le Guin experienced a paradigm shift to feminism, a change which had profound effects on her work. This critical examination explores the masculinist nature of her early writing and how her work changed both thematically and aesthetically as a result of her newfound feminism. Of particular interest is her later phase, wherein Le Guin transitions to a more inclusive post-feminism, privileging unity and balance over...

A collection of essays which provide an interpretive framework for understanding the continually developing forms and genres of television drama.

Fantasy writing, like literature in general, provides a powerful vehicle for challenging the status quo. This work explores the role of the portal in fantasy, investigating the ways in which magical nexus points, and movement between worlds, are used to illustrate real-world power dynamics, especially those impacting women and children.